Still Alive
by Wet Lapras
Summary: Set at the beginning of Strangers, just after sunset. After escaping from Terminus in a blaze of cannibals, bullets and walkers, Daryl and Carol are reunited. Recent events have left the usually invincible Daryl feeling pretty shook up, can Carol set things right again?


**My first fic so please go easy on me ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story or any part of the Walking Dead, this is just for fun and entertainment only.**

Rated T. Warnings: Gore, implied major character death, some language, cannibalism.

Daryl couldn't describe with any words what it felt like to set eyes on Carol after all this time, he thought he may never see her again after Rick had banished her from the prison community. There she was, standing there with his crossbow slung over her left shoulder.

The moment his eyes met hers, his mind took over his body and before he even realized it, he was running towards her with tears of joy pooling in the corners of his big blue eyes. Her smell, oh how he remembered that now as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his body and lifting her from the ground slightly, his hand ruffling the soft hair on the nape of her neck.

As the sun began to set and the group began to make camp for the night, Carol noticed something seemed very off with Daryl, he really didn't seem to be his usual self. The adrenaline of their initial embrace seemingly fading away and a terrible exhaustion was seeping through fresh cracks in Daryl's tough outer shell. Little chinks in his armor that he would never admit were there, but Carol could see them just fine and she certainly wasn't afraid to point them out to Daryl when the need arose.

He looked completely shattered, his movements were slow, as if he were dragging a heavy weight and he was unusually scared and jumpy. Daryl was never scared, the whole group knew something was wrong with Daryl, very wrong. Everyone knew better than to approach Daryl Dixon with concerns about his wellbeing, all apart from one that is, the omnipresent Carol.

Maybe it was the trauma of what he and the group had just been through, after all the sight of other humans killing and preparing other humans for food and being seconds away from becoming a cannibal's meal yourself would be enough to shatter even the most resilient souls. Daryl also blamed himself for Beth being snatched away by the mysterious car not too long ago. A girl he had once seen as a ditzy, dumb blonde, who had well and truly come into her own as the apocalypse had progressed. Proving herself to be quite strong and capable, so much so it considerably impressed Daryl. He remembered the meek, shy teenager she had been when they first arrived at her family's farm.

They had all fought so hard to reach terminus, those signs promising sanctuary luring the fragmented group in like frustrated moths that had been denied the sight of a flame for too long. Every day the journey towards Terminus posed many new threats, from the numerous walkers lingering round every corner, to dehydration and exposure their lives were never out of danger for a second along the way. Everyone had such high hopes of finding sanctuary, a place to start again after the fall of the prison at the hands of the Governor. Little did anyone know how these hopes would be dashed in such a horrific manner, one almost unimaginable before the dead began to walk around attacking the living and the world as humanity knew it had most certainly come to an end. One could even say that the things they saw in Terminus were worse than the dead walking around killing the living, worse than pretty much any conceivable nightmare scenario.

Daryl sat alone, his back against a tree and his elbows resting on his knees, a cigarette in desperate need of a good flick hanging loosely between his lips, he appeared lost in thought. Carol got up from the tree she had been sat against and cautiously approached him, 'what the hell happened to you in there?' she asked a rather fragile looking Daryl in a low, calm voice. 'Doesn't matter' he growled, 'ain't nothing you can do about it now' he replied, stubbing out the butt of his cigarette on a stone next to the tree. 'No I know that she replied but I'm worried about you, you don't look to well'. 'I'm fine!' Daryl snarled back at her. 'Well you look far from fine to me' Carol shot back, although her voice was still quiet and unusually calm, as she didn't want to agitate Daryl even more.

Something rustled a bush nearby, Daryl almost jumped out of his skin in anticipation of a walker or ten stumbling around about to invade their makeshift camp, or worse, those freaks from Terminus, he was somewhat relieved when a large rat scuttled out of the bush and away into the dark woods, but very disappointed in himself for having such a reaction. Daryl Dixon wasn't afraid of anything, period.

He was clearly far from alright and Carol knew it, after all she knew him well and well enough to know when something was wrong. He was obviously terrified and his reaction to the rat rustling the bushes proved that beyond doubt. There had been no time for sleeping or any kind of rest during their time in captivity at Terminus. This, Combined with the battle to escape the grips of both their cannibal captors and the hoard of walkers drawn to the disarray had left everyone exhausted and on edge, far more so than what everyone now classed as normal.

'Come here, come and sit with me' she demanded, holding out her hand to him in a gesture of kindness that Daryl wasn't used to. He appeared resigned by this point.

The black darkness of the night felt suffocating, and this combined with sheer exhaustion disoriented him considerably. He placed his head in his hands and sighed before taking Carol up on her offer of not spending the night alone feeling like he did. He slowly tried to stand up but his exhausted body was working against him. He whimpered and slowly sighed, suddenly he felt very weak as the last tiny remnants of energy deserted his tired body, he swayed on his feet as he tried to stand up straight, stars beginning to flood his vision. He reached for the tree he had been sat against to steady himself. Carol was quick to intervene, jumping up from where she sat, hastily arriving at Daryl's side, she gently wrapped her arm around his middle, holding him steady. 'Ugh' Daryl grunted as everything span around him and his body struggled to remain upright. 'Daryl, you're ok, I've got you, it's ok' Carol replied quickly as Daryl struggled to get his bearings and regain his balance.

He hated the fact Carol was having to physically help him stand after all he'd done and been through. 'Fuckin' pussy' he cussed at himself silently, damn near passing out from shock and exhaustion really wasn't what Dixons did.

Carol lay a rather tatty blanket out next to her and helped Daryl lay down, gently resting his head on a soft coat she had hastily fashioned into a pillow as he lay next to Carol. Daryl didn't want to give in to the exhaustion, he was afraid to sleep after the things he had just been subjected to inside Terminus. He felt too vulnerable and exposed and he HATED feeling like that. He had to stay awake and keep watch in case any of the psychos from Terminus came back, it was his job to look after everyone, not be looked after. 'How are you feeling now' Carol asked. ' Feel very drained and ache all over' the tired hunter growled groggily. 'Want to talk about what happened in there?' Carol calmly asked as she sat against the tree with Daryl laying on his back next to her, the palm of her hand resting on his shoulder. 'Nah, not now' Daryl replied, his voice seemed weak and he was struggling to keep awake. He hadn't seen Carol for too long, he wanted to just lay there and look at her but he couldn't keep his eyes open another second. Carol moved her hand from his shoulder and rested her arm by her side, Daryl took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers, finally letting his heavy eyelids fall closed. The world around him began to fade out as his exhausted body drifted the dark abyss of sleep.

 _There he was bound and gagged on his knees in front of the trough in the slaughterhouse after being dragged from the Boxcar with Rick, Bob and Glen, awaiting his fate as he watched four others die one by one, smashed in the back of the head and their throats slit by Gareth's men, the boom of the flash grenade still resounding in his head. Gareth slunk around in front of the trough like a horror movie psychopath just before he brutally executed his victim. Daryl's entire life appeared before his eyes with each sickening thud of the bat hitting the skulls of his fellow survivors, a blur of hunting trips with Merle in the beautiful Georgia mountains to the savage crack of his drunken mess of a father's belt against as his skin, then her, Carol, the reason he had fought so hard to survive some days. Even when he felt hope deserting him, the image of her in the front of his mind had driven his already well-seasoned survival instincts. He struggled in a futile attempt to free himself but it was no use. He felt sick as blood seeped down the drainage hole in the trough, blood that was soon to mix with his._

 _He looked up and saw corpses in various stages of being prepared for food and imagined himself being savagely dismembered in the same way. His mind shifted again to the absent Carol and how much he loved her. What he thought was his last thought, he'd survived the apocalypse just to die at the hands of Gareth and his band of insane cannibal freaks like a goddamned animal, slowly drifted through his mind. All he saw was blood, blood, filth and death, the unbearable stench of death hung heavily in the air. The clack of butcher knives resonating in his ears._

 _Gareth suddenly whistled to one of his cronies 'bring her out!' he shouted. A female figure was dragged out of one of the side rooms by two other men, a canvas bag over her head and her hands bound behind her back with rope. Gareth let out a sadistic, evil laugh as one of the men tore the bag off of her head. Daryl violently grunted and struggled as his eyes met those of a defeated Carol, resigned to her fate. A huge sob balled in his dry throat, he struggled as best he could against his bindings, but to no avail. Gareth approached the two men, who released Carol to him with a violent shove that caused her to stumble towards him_ _, and without a word, he suddenly pulled out a large knife and slit her throat right there in front of the bound and gagged group._

 _Blood gushed from the wound, and Daryl watched helplessly as her lifeless body collapsed to the ground. His senses deserted him, all the breath he had left was suddenly sucked from his body as more blood pooled out of Carol's lifeless body right there in front of him. 'Haha, was she yoursss' Gareth taunted after witnessing Daryl's desperate struggle. 'We caught the stupid bitch outside the fence trying to blow up one of our propane tanks with a bottle rocket, must have been some half assed attempt to save your sorry asses. Hope quickly deserted him and he waited to join Carol in the darkness of death. He was screaming inside, totally unable to comprehend the horror unfolding around him. Blood, blood, blood everywhere, dismembered body parts, more blood, human entrails hanging from huge meat hooks suspended from the ceiling, NOOO he screamed inside, this simply could not be happening...NO NOO NOOOOO..._

'Daryl!' a familiar voice shook him awake as he somehow found the strength to suddenly pull himself upright, yelling NOOOO!, gasping and shaking. Carol felt as if she'd only been asleep for about five minutes before being woken suddenly by Daryl thrashing and whimpering. ''Daryl it's okay, you're okay, it was just a dream, a bad dream, you're safe now' 'It's only me, Carol' she almost whispered, placing her hand gently on Daryl's back and slowly running it down his spine and back toward his neck. You're dead, you're dead! I was there, they died...they're all dead!, he killed you, he killed you!', Daryl shot back, still only half awake, his eyes wild with terror and his body shaking like a leaf caught in the autumn breeze. It was very late now, the camp was in darkness, the small fire they had lit long since gone out and the rest of the group were asleep. 'No, I'm alive, Daryl, it was just a dream' Carol whispered. The pitch darkness scared Daryl in a way it never had before, he could not remember ever feeling so afraid, not even when Merle had left him alone at the hands of his bastard drunken father or that time he got lost in the woods for nine days as a kid. He was not afraid of anything, let alone the dark. This felt different, very different, a whole new evil that very few humans had ever stumbled upon before.

He could clearly see Gareth and his men lurking in the woods, waiting for the group to all be asleep so they could finish what they started. Daryl felt cold, physically and emotionally, and he shuddered against the cool night air. Carol quietly rummaged in the bags and managed to find another blanket without further disturbing the others and wrapped it around Daryl. He trembled a little as she gently tucked a strand of his rapidly growing hair behind his ear, images of the nightmare he'd just had still too fresh in his mind. 'Shh, just be still, it's ok, those people can't hurt you now' she whispered. 'What happened in there was truly awful but it's over now, we're all alive, we're together again and we're all safe'.

Daryl lay still with his head in her lap, she slowly stroked his long, soft brown hair and reassured him it was ok and he was safe to sleep now. 'Get some rest' she whispered. Daryl closed his eyes again, letting himself be lulled by Carol's soft, slow breathing and gentle warmth, with that and the soothing sensation of her fingers running through his hair, he finally drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep. Carol stayed awake until she was sure Daryl was asleep, then she closed her eyes too and finally both were asleep.

Carol woke to the sunlight shining down on them through the trees, Daryl was still asleep , she looked down at him and thought how peaceful he now looked compared to when she was first reunited with him. She shifted a little, Daryl stirred, 'morning' she whispered. She placed her hand against Daryl's back as he slowly sat up, stretching out his arms in an attempt to wake up some more. Rick walked cautiously over to the pair, and asked 'what happened last night? I heard him yelling in the night, is he ok?' 'yeah she replied softly but he's pretty shaken by what went on in that awful place.'How do you feel today hun?' asked Carol, Daryl replied 'still totally freaked out by it all to be honest' Carol held his hand and he explained that he could not rid himself of the awful things he had seen and been subjected to in the Terminus compound. It didn't look like Daryl was alone in his state of shock either, the daylight revealed the looks of disbelief and horror on the faces of most of the others too. Daryl was already exhausted before this ordeal, he didn't get even a quarter of the amount of sleep his body needed. This had allowed he shock and trauma to completely envelop him, culminating in the awful night he'd just had.

'You're safe now, we will never let another one of those imbeciles hurt any of us again' said Rick. 'We all went through hell in there, you know you can talk about it with any of us anytime right?' ' yeah I know' growled Daryl as Rick slowly walked back towards the others thinking it best to allow Carol to help Daryl using that magic touch she seemed to have whenever it came to helping anyone in any kind of distress. Carol was the only one who'd ever really got through the tough hide that enveloped Daryl's psyche.

Daryl still felt exhausted, both emotionally and physically, but he was so grateful for the few hours rest he did manage to get thanks to Carol's presence. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Carol, 'thank you' he said slowly. 'What for exactly ?' Carol replied with a playful tone, 'helping me last night, I don't think I've ever felt anything like that before' 'no need to thank me hun, it's the least I could do, you've all been through something nobody should ever have to face'.

'I thought we were all dead' Daryl said slowly, staring at the ground, tears pooling in the corners of his brilliant blue eyes. He began to tremble again, as his mind recalled what he had seen in Terminus, and the bleak thought that one of the screams he had heard inside the compound may have belonged to Beth. 'I thought I'd never see any of you again', his voice starting to crack slightly with a degree of emotion he seldom liked to show, but he couldn't help it by this point. If there was one thing Daryl loathed it was this kind of desolate feeling of helplessness. 'I can still see the bodies, the blood... I couldn't do anything to help them' Daryl shook again, a tear snaking down his pale cheek.

He remembered the cries of anguish coming from the containers and boxcars that dotted the Terminus compound. I can still hear them screaming and crying out, I couldn't help them, I couldn't... Daryl trailed off, shaking again. 'You helped get us all out Daryl, we're alive' Carol said quietly as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. 'We will find Beth, I walked through a lot of that compound and saw no signs Beth was ever there', Carol said to Daryl. 'I found all your weapons and possessions but there was nothing there that belonged to Beth'.

Daryl turned to Carol, placed his large rough hand onto the back of her head and pulled her closer, his lips met hers, his tongue slowly parting them and meeting hers as their lips both locked into a slow, passionate kiss. For a few seconds their tongues danced with one another before their lips eventually parted and Daryl spoke. 'Thank you Carol and I really mean that, thank you for being here, thank you for everything you have done for me and the entire group', Daryl said in a low, gruff voice. 'It's fine Daryl, I care very much for all of you, and you, I love you'. I love you too replied Daryl, 'nobody and nothing will ever take you away from me'.

 **The end.**


End file.
